A $30 million Bunnings store planned for Kembla Grange was given the green-light recently. In 2016, Bunnings Properties lodged plans with Wollongong City Council to demolish existing structures at the Northcliffe Drive and Canterbury Road site and build a hardware and supplies store. The hardware store will be built on a 40,000sqm block from the former Prime Television studios in Northcliffe Drive to the Princes Highway. The store is set to take up about a third of the 40,000sqm site, with parking for 415 cars included in plans. The Bunnings application was determined by the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel due to its high costs. They recently approved it. Read More: $30million Bunnings plan for Kembla Grange site Andrew Marks, Bunnings’ general manager of property said they were pleased to have received development approval for a new Bunnings Warehouse at Kembla Grange, which will replace the current Bunnings Warrawong Warehouse. “We will be going out to tender next week for a builder for the development,” he told the Mercury. “To accommodate the additional traffic in the local area, we will be undertaking improvement works to the intersection of Northcliffe Drive and the Princes Highway. “Furthermore, Wollongong City Council and Bunnings will also be co-funding the construction of a new roundabout on Northcliffe Drive which will provide safe access to the new store, as well as bring forward a key piece of road infrastructure to service the West Dapto release area.” Mr Marks said team members will transfer from the existing warehouse to the new warehouse, and could be joined by more than 30 new team members. “The timing of the project has not been finalised at this stage and we will continue to update the local community as soon as timings are known,” he said. Bunnings had requested that council enter into a planning agreement for the shared cost of the roundabout, which will work out at $1.5 million each. According to the 2016 application, the development will comply with all council controls except for height, with some parts of the building exceeding the 11-metre limit. In its determination, the panel noted that it had considered the applicant’s request to vary the development standard regarding height, and was satisfied that the variation from the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan development standard was in the public interest. The panel also noted that the development would provide employment opportunities, and due to conditions imposed the development would not have adverse impacts on the character or amenity of the surrounding area, environment and adjoining development. Read More: ​Rich Lister offloads Good Guys property at Warrawong

Andrew Marks, Bunnings’ general manager of property said they were pleased to have received development approval for a new Bunnings Warehouse at Kembla Grange, which will replace the current Bunnings Warrawong Warehouse.

“We will be going out to tender next week for a builder for the development,” he told the Mercury.

“To accommodate the additional traffic in the local area, we will be undertaking improvement works to the intersection of Northcliffe Drive and the Princes Highway.

“Furthermore, Wollongong City Council and Bunnings will also be co-funding the construction of a new roundabout on Northcliffe Drive which will provide safe access to the new store, as well as bring forward a key piece of road infrastructure to service the West Dapto release area.”

Mr Marks said team members will transfer from the existing warehouse to the new warehouse, and could be joined by more than 30 new team members.

“The timing of the project has not been finalised at this stage and we will continue to update the local community as soon as timings are known,” he said.

According to the 2016 application, the development will comply with all council controls except for height, with some parts of the building exceeding the 11-metre limit.

In its determination, the panel noted that it had considered the applicant’s request to vary the development standard regarding height, and was satisfied that the variation from the WollongongLocal Environmental Plan development standard was in the public interest.

The panel also noted that the development would provide employment opportunities, and due to conditions imposed the development would not have adverse impacts on the character or amenity of the surrounding area, environment and adjoining development.